


The Snap | A RWBY AU Story

by Egurulejr93



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 10:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15772251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Egurulejr93/pseuds/Egurulejr93
Summary: (This Story is like Infinity War. But set in the RWBY Fandom)Team RWBY and their allies prepare for their final battle against Salem, who has acquired 2 of the Relics. And with 2 relics in their own possession, our heroes must do their best to protect them and retrieved the other 2, before Salem takes them and wipe out humanity with them...with the snap of her fingers. Will they succeed?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The story was first published on July 1st, 2018 and completed on August 17, 2018

**(The sounds of someone drinking is heard. After a couple gulps, the man burps and chuckles. Qrow Branwen is steadying his Scroll onto a table, where is it recording him.)**

"So...you want to know what has happened. What happened...before we fight our biggest battle ever." Qrow sighs. "Very well."

**(Qrow sits down and stretches.)**

"After our fight in Haven Academy, we took a couple days to rest. My nieces' team was finally reunited. But that Belladonna girl...it took at least a week for Yang to forgive her...after they sparred. Turns out Yang was smitten with the cat girl. And the result was her heart being broken. Kitten loves Monkey Boy. And that took Yang another week to understand. I'm getting off subject enough to need another swig."

**(After Qrow takes more sips from his flask, he continues.)**

"Together...us and the Faunus of Menagerie formed a plan to head to Atlas in order to retrieve the Relic of Creation. And as we had the Relic of Knowledge, we also needed to protect that as well. The Chieftain, Belladonna's father, chose to guard it. He hopes that he would be the last to be expected to have it. I didn't like the plan. But the majority vote rule this. The Faunus agreed to meet us in Vale at Beacon Academy, where they planned on assisting in the eliminating the remaining Grimm there. And hopefully...they find the Relic of Choice in the process."

**(Qrow sighs in disappointment.)**

"But we were too late. Salem managed to find the Winter Maiden, forced her to unlock the vault in Atlas and retrieved the Relic. Salem then managed to have her killed by her psychotic servant. The Maiden was poisoned. It was slow and extremely painful. Dammit. And I keep hearing rumors of the Summer Maiden being captured as well. But I try not to think about it. When we arrived in Atlas, we were already too late. And let's just say that poor Jimmy wasn't exactly happy that he let this happened. And we needed his army to fight the one that Salem has. Took some convincing, but her decides to fight with us, against his better judgement. The Schnee girl has reunited with Ice Queen. And for once...I actually felt happy for Winter."

**(Qrow chuckles)**

"Guess the young one decided to head back home and talk to Jacque, that insult of a human being. Found out that after she escaped, he was very angry. Lashed out on everyone who attempted to calm him down. And after he nearly beaten a fellow partner to death, the board of 'his' company forced him into retirement. And that meant the brother was about to become the new president of a hug company. And when he did...took him a whole day of extreme stress to cause him to breakdown. Guess he wasn't ready enough. And when the board were looking for a new boss, the young Schnee walked right in and took over, thanks to her new connections in the Atlesian military. And with her new occupation, she will use all the Dust she gather to help with our fight against Salem. And added positive note. Only for it to be crushed."

**(Qrow is silent for a few seconds, before talking again.)**

"The rumors were true. The Summer Maiden was found dead inside Shade Academy. Electrocuted to death. And the Relic of Destruction gone. Another Maiden gone. Dammit. And with Fall dead, who knows the next one to take the mantle. And that leaves with Spring. My sister, Raven. Killed the previous girl and obtained her powers. Haven't seen her since Haven. I was pissed when Yang told me. The last Maiden was only a kid. And she killed her. I'm going to need an explanation from her when she shows up again."

**(Qrow drinks from his flask again.)**

"We managed to make it back to Vale, where the Chieftain managed to retrieved the Relic of Choice. It was never in its Vault. But rather hidden where no one would think of look: The fountain in front of the school. **(Qrow lets out another chuckle)** Nice trick, Oz. So now we have 2 relics...and Salem has the other 2. Our mission now is to take back Creation and Knowledge, for with those 2, Salem could already be more powerful then she ever was. We cannot fail this. If we lose...she could wipe out everyone in Remnant in the snap of her fingers. Can't let that happened.

**(The sound of knocking is heard. Qrow turns around and sees the doors to his room opening. He smiles to see his nice, Ruby Rose, entering.)**

"Hey kiddo." He said. "What'd you need?"

Ruby notices the Scroll on the table. "You recording something?"

"Just passing the time, before we head out." Qrow said. He notices the worry in Ruby's face. "What's the matter, Ruby?"

Ruby sighs and proceeds to sit next to Qrow. "We're about to head into what might be my biggest battle yet, Uncle Qrow. I'm 16 and this is happening. I'm...I'm scared. Scared for Weiss. Scared for Blake. Yang. Jaune. Everyone. I'm scared that we might lose."

"Hey, kiddo." Qrow said, putting his hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Don't let fear control you in battle. It'll distract you. And you don't want that to happen. Focus on protecting your friends."

"...We're going to win. Right?"

Qrow chuckles and nods. "We've won before, kiddo. And we'll win this one."

Ruby smiles and nods back. "I believe you, Uncle Qrow. Oh. I forgot. We're leaving in a few minutes."

"Well we better head off then."

As the two of them stand up, Qrow goes to his Scroll and picks it up.

"Gotta go. Our greatest battle since the War is about to begin."

Hey guys. So this is the interlude of the 1 chapter story that will be written. I was inspired by Infinity War to write this. And if you guys like the story, I might make a sequel that could be more than one chapter. You'll know when the story is officially published. See you guys.


	2. PART 1

**ENJOY READING!!**

* * *

"Well...it's about to happen."

"Indeed, sis. Our biggest battle ever. Scared."

"Absolutely. But Uncle Qrow told me to not be scared."

"...That's good. Don't want to get distracted. Instead...use your anger."

Ruby Rose and her sister, Yang Xiao Long, are sitting across from each other in a room.

"How angry do you think I am?" Ruby asked.

Yang begins to think. "I'd say...if your eyes turned red, it would be that much."

Ruby chuckles. "You're right. But I have to be careful with my anger too. Don't want that clouding me in a fight."

The sound of the door to the room opens. Ruby and Yang both turn to see the rest of their teammates entering. Weiss Schnee sits down on her bed, while Blake Belladonna rests herself on the wall next to the door.

"How are you guys holding?" Ruby said.

"...Trying our best." Blake answered. "We're expected to land outside of Mistral in a few minutes. We also gained some more allies in the process. They'll be arriving in other airships." She notices that Yang is showing some slight anger and sighs. "Really, Yang? You're still angry?"

"I am." Yang answered. "Not very much. Just a little. I know it's only been a few weeks since you came back...but I can't forgive you fully. Not yet."

Blake lowers her head and grabs her arm. "Then I'll do what I can to earn that forgiveness."

"And you will." Weiss said. "One day. For now, we have to focus on what's about to happen.

"I'll tell you what's going to happen." Ruby said as she stands up. "We're going to beat Salem. We're going to get the other 2 relics. And we're going to win. Because we're the good guys."

"Just because we're the good guys Ruby, doesn't mean we gotta prepare for the worst." Weiss said.

Yang groans in annoyance. "Way to ruin it, Ice Queen."

Weiss growls in anger.

"Hey you guys."

Team RWBY turns to see Qrow Branwen standing in the door way, drinking from his flask.

"Hey Uncle Qrow." Ruby said. "Are we just about there?"

Qrow puts his flask away. "Yep. And get this: We're not the first to land. Some surprising people will be there already."

"Who?" Yang said.

"Oh, you'll see." Qrow said, smiling.

Minutes later, the airship slowly lands in the forests outside of Mistral, with some trees falling down from the ship hitting them. After landing, the ship opens the bay doors. Team RWBY, Qrow, along with Jaune Arc, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie exit the ship.

"Well...we're back." Jaune said.

"Back, Indeed." Ren said. He turns to see Nora, who is acting unusually nervous. He then proceeds to hold her hand.

Nora turns to look at Ren, who is smiling at her. She slowly smiles back.

"So...where's the other group?" Ruby asked.

"About half a mile from here." Qrow said. "Thought it'd be a good idea to not have all the ships in one place. Just in case."

Nora groans in annoyance. "We have to walk now?"

"Nora." Jaune said. "We spent months walking from Vale to Mistral. And now you're complaining?"

"I ain't complaining." Yang said. "I could use the exercise."

"Onward, then." Weiss said.

The group proceeds to walk down the forest. As they walk, they hear the silence of the forest, the birds chirping in the trees.

"It's been a while since we've had this much silence since we made it to Mistral." Jaune said.

"You guys were used to this a lot, huh?" Blake asked.

"Yep." Nora said. "Other than the occasional Grimm, it was...peaceful. Being along in the woods...by ourselves...without fearing that we could get eaten while we were asleep."

"Okay." Jaune said nervously. "Nora. Please take it down a notch."

"Fine." Nora said, crossing her arms.

"It is nice to hear the sounds of the forest again." Ruby said, smiling. "Helped me focus a lot while we were heading to Mistral."

"Speaking of that...Ruby." Yang said. "You and I need to have a little discussion of the fact that you went off, without telling me or Dad."

Ruby's eyes go wide and turns to Yang. "I left a note!"

"Yeah!" Yang exclaims. "A note! That was it! You just took off without a word. Do you have any idea how angry Dad was?"

"I suspect a lot." Ruby said, nervously.

"He was pissed." Yang said. "And I had to hear it all."

"I wonder if he's still angry at me." Ruby said.

"Oh...I SO am!"

The whole group stops and immediately turns to see who was speaking. Ruby felt the blood drain from her face as she sees her dad, Taiyang, standing near them. His arms are crossed and is looking at Ruby.

"Hey, Tai." Qrow said.

"Qrow." Taiyang said.

Yang turns to see Ruby slowly backing away and puts her arm behind her sister, stopping her. "Don't. He's here. No running away."

Ruby looks at Yang, before she turns to see Taiyang approaching her, making her stare at the ground. Yang can feel Ruby shaking as Taiyang stops.

"...Ruby." Taiyang said. "Ruby. Look at me."

Ruby waits a few seconds, before lifting her head. Taiyang's expressions softens upon seeing the tears falling down down her face.

"Dad!" Ruby exclaims. "I'm...I'm sorry that I...I had to leave...I wanted to tell you why. I should've stayed. But I didn't want...I needed..."

He sighs and proceeds to wrap his arms around her daughter. Ruby is surprised by this.

"I'm just happy that you're okay." Taiyang said.

Ruby begins to sob softly before she hugs her dad back. The group all beginning to smile at the father-daughter reunion. Yang walks to a nearby tree and rests her back on it. As she crosses her arms and smile, she notices several leaves falling past her. Her smile fades and begins to look up. She begins to show some anger. "Dad?"

Taiyang breaks the hug and turns to look at Yang. Ruby wipes her tears away.

"What is she doing here?"

Qrow begins to realize what Yang says and proceeds to take out his sword.

"Wait!"

Qrow turns to look at Taiyang, who has his hand raised up.

"It's okay." The father said. "She's with me."

Yang turns to look at her dad. "What do you mean by that?"

Taiyang looks up at the tree, where he sees a bird. "It's okay. Come on out."

The bird stares at Taiyang for a few seconds before it falls to the ground. Everyone except for Yang, Qrow, Weiss and Taiyang are eyes-wide when they see the bird transform into human form. Standing in front of everyone, Raven Branwen has her arms crossed, and her face is now of slight fear. She turns to look at Yang, who is angrily looking at her.

"Yang." Raven said.

"...Mom." Yang said as she walks away to Taiyang. "Why is she with you?"

"...She came to the house...weeks ago. Said that we had so much to talk about."

Yang turns to Raven. "I expected you to head back to your tribe and run away. Just as you always had."

"...I was planning to." Raven said.

"And yet, you're here." Qrow said, crossing his own arms.

Raven looks at her brother. "I did go back to the tribe. And then I abandoned them. Just like you did."

Qrow raises his eyebrows. "Wow. That took some guts to leave the people that you called 'family'. But that still doesn't change the fact that you sided with Salem."

"I sided with myself, Vernal and the Tribe!" Raven exclaims. "I was using Fall in order to get to the Relic." She turns back to Yang. "But she stopped me from taking it. Because she was right. No matter where I go...Salem will find me."

"Not just kill you." Qrow said. "But siphon them Maiden powers of yours."

Raven is surprised to hear this and looks at Yang again. "You told him."

"Not immediately." Yang said, having told Qrow a week after the Battle of Haven. "But you're here for a reason." She turns to Taiyang.

"She's here to fight Salem." Taiyang said. "Took a few days to convince her."

"And here I am." Raven said. "And I'm not running, anymore."

"...We will discuss this more, once we reach the rest of the group." Qrow said.

* * *

_**GRASSLANDS** _

Minutes later, everyone walk out of the forest and into the grasslands, where they see a landed airship nearby. Qrow notices that no one is around.

"Where is everyone?" Ruby said.

Blake's cat ears twitch and she squints her eyes. She suddenly takes out Gambol Shroud and throws it at a tree, the tip striking the tree. A pair of arms appear raised from the tree.

"WHOA, THERE!"

Blake brings Gambol Shroud back to her. "Come out!"

"Alright! Alirght! Can't get some sleep without being attacked! Geez."

The group watches as the girl comes out from the behind her tree. Her beret in her hand as she yawns, Coco Adel stretches her arms and cracks her back. "Sup, guys."

"Coco." Ruby said. "Is that you?"

"Who else walks around with a beret these days, 1st year?" Coco asked as she walks to the group. She the proceeds to whistle loudly. The sounds of rustling happens behind her. "We all hid, just in case. You never know who's going to attack us."

Coco and everyone else turn to see those coming out of their hiding spots. Yang sees the girl with the rabbit ears coming out of a large bush. Velvet Scarlatina smiles upon seeing her friends. Behind her, Yatsuhashi Daichi and Fox Alistair walk behind her.

"Well, well, well." Yang said. "If if isn't Team CFVY."

"It certainty has been a while." Velvet said, before she is surprised upon looking at Yang's metal arm. "Whoa."

"Don't ask." Yang said. "So Velvet. Weiss told me about what you did back in Beacon. I'm impressed. Looking forward to seeing how you fight."

Velvet shyly smiles and looks away. But Coco can tell that she's blushing.

"Anyone else here?" Qrow asked.

"Not really." Coco answered. "We tried to get other teams from Beacon to help." She sighs. "We even tried Team CRDL."

"I told her not to." Velvet said. "They said no, anyways."

"So it's just my team, and the the exes." Coco said.

"Hey." Taiyang said. "Come on."

"Whatever." Coco said. "When are we going to fight?"

"Very soon." Qrow said. "We just need to wait for the other groups to arrive. We'll then debrief you on what's going on."

"So until then...what do you guys wanna do?" Ruby asked.

"...We could catch up." Weiss suggested.

"It has been almost a year." Velvet said. "I'd like to hear what you guys been doing since we last saw each other."

"Might as well." Qrow said. He then turns to Raven. "Feel free to get reacquainted. The adults need to speak for a few minutes." He then notions towards a direction.

Qrow, Raven and Taiyang walk away as RWBY, JNR and CFVY begin to converse with each other. The three of them keep walking until they are far away enough out of earshot. Qrow then angrily looks at Raven. "You better explain yourself, right now!"

"Could you clarify?" Raven asked, crossing her arms.

"I'm talking about the girl! The one who was the last Spring Maiden!" Qrow exclaims. "Yang told me about how you found her. And that you killed her."

"I gave her mercy." Raven said.

"She was only a kid!" Qrow said.

"She was weak!" Raven said.

"Enough! Both of you!" Taiyang said, silencing the siblings. " What has happened...happened. Okay? We can't just go back and change any of this. We have to stop meddling in the past. And focus on the future."

"I hate to admit this." Raven said. "But he's right. I do not plan on arguing for the rest of this mission. I just want to help stop Salem, once and for all."

"And what'll you do after that?" Qrow asked. "You said that you abandoned the Tribe, yourself."

"I'll worry about that, until then." Raven said.

Meanwhile, the three teams are conversing with each other. As they do, Weiss notices Ruby walking into the forest. She decides to go follow her friend. After a couple minutes of walking, they completely stop. Weiss is amazed by the waterfall that is in front of them.

"Whoa." She said.

"Yep." Ruby said. "We stopped by here a couple days before you and Yang showed up." She then sits down. "It's actually a good place to think."

Weiss notices that's Ruby's face is of sadness and proceeds to sit down next to her. "What's wrong?'

Ruby slowly turns to Weiss. "I didn't want to show the others how I really feel right now. We're about to fight Salem, Weiss. And when we first saw her...that was the moment that I was truly terrified of something."

"She was scary." Weiss said. "But in truth, I actually saw worse. Fighting her will be easier."

"That's not the point." Ruby said. "I'm...I'm scared, Weiss. I'm scared of the aftermath. Whether we win. Whether we lose. Or whether we'll lose some of our own in the fight."

Weiss is a bit shocked at hearing this.

"Qrow and Yang have been doing their help me. But no matter what, the fear doesn't go away, the closer we get."

"You shouldn't think about this."

"I don't have a choice." Ruby said. "They're always there. The memories that keep me afraid. And when Cinder almost killed you...I tried my best not to show the fear that I had inside me. I thought I had lost my best friend, that night. My partner"

Weiss places her hand over the area, where her scar lies underneath her outfit. "I'm still here, Ruby."

"Because of Jaune."

"Not just because of Jaune. But my will to keep going as well. Alone, your own will is powerful. But together...all of us...we could near unstoppable."

Ruby stares at the ground for a few seconds, before speaking. "Promise me."

Weiss is a bit confused. "Promise?"

Ruby lifts her head back up and looks at Weiss. "Promise me that you'll be by my side." She then smiles. "I have some team attacks that I came up with. And I'd like to use them."

Weiss smiles. "Just for that?"

Ruby tries to move away her head. But Weiss sees her blushing. She chuckles and nods. As she look away, Ruby goes eyes-wide and quickly turns. She sees Weiss' hands on top of her own.

"Hey."

Ruby looks back at Weiss.

"Hey." Weiss said. "I promise. Okay? A million times, I promise. You watch my back...and I watch yours."

Ruby slowly smiles and the two of them proceed to stare at the waterfall, with Weiss' hand still on top of Ruby's.

"Awww. That's cute."

Ruby and Weiss' eyes go wide. They immediately turn around to see Yang. She is smiling and her arms crossed. The two quickly stand up and look embarrassed.

Ruby chuckles nervously. "Uh...what brings you here, Yang?"

Yang is still smiling as she raises an eyebrow. "Don't think I will forget this moment, Rubes. " She was also holding her Scroll.

"You were recording us?" Weiss annoyingly ends.

"Just a couple pics." Yang said as she puts her Scroll away. "I'm here because the other teams will be here in a couple hours. And I was thinking...let's do something funny. To help with morale a bit."

"Ooooohhhhhhh." Ruby said. "What you got in mind?"

* * *

**END OF PART 1**


	3. PART 2

(WARNING: If you haven't seen Infinity War yet, you should leave right now, as again...this story is inspired by the final battles if the movie. If you already seen it, then enjoy...until the end.)

* * *

Someone is recording inside the airship in the grasslands. Slight chuckles are heard as the Scroll turns to a small painting that is for some reason, hanging on a wall.

"Uh...Ruby?"

Ruby turns the Scroll to see Nora looking a bit confused.

"What are you doing?"

Ruby snickers before she speaks behind the screen.  _"Nora. You need to see this painting. It's hilarious."_

Nora turns and sees the painting. "Why is it small?"

_"I have no idea. But you have to squint your eyes real good to see it."_

Nora begins to squint her eyes and moves her head closer to the painting. "I don't see-"

Before Nora can finish her sentence, she is met by a punch to the face, sending her backwards. Ruby begins laughing as Nora looks to see, instead of the painting, a boxing glove coming out of a hole, is there. The door next to the glove opens and Nora sees a laughing Yang coming out of it. Nora then begins to laugh along, realizing that it was a prank.

"I was wondering why it was so damn small." She said between laughs.

Minutes later, Nora, now a part of the prank, stands in the hallway and see someone approaching.

"Sun. You've got to look at this. It...is...hilarious."

Moving into the screen, the monkey Faunus approaches the painting.

"What's so funny about it?" Sun Wukong asked.

"You need to squint your eyes and get a bit closer to see the image." Nora answered.

"Okay." Sun said. He begins to squint and move closer to the painting. "I...I think I see something. It looks...rather familiar."

That's when Sun's face meets the boxing glove. As he retreats back, everyone begins laughing. Yang comes out laughing as Sun begins to smile.

"What was that?" Sun exclaims.

"It's just a prank!" Yang said, holding her stomach.

They all laugh at the prank being another success. They wait a couple more minutes until Nora goes off-screen to grab someone and bring them. Someone is near, trying to hold his laugh.

"Okay, Nora." Jaune said "What's up?"

"You need to look at this." Nora answered, pointing at the painting. "It is hilarious."

Jaune proceeds to get closer to the painting. As he begins to squint, the glove appears and hits him. Laughter begins again. And Juane quickly joins in as Yang gets out again.

"I freaking knew something was up!" Jaune exclaims.

"Oh! Idea!" Nora said. "Get Oscar here!"

Minutes more later, Nora is by herself with Ruby still recording.

"Yo, Oscar." Nora said, trying to contain her laughing. "You need to check out this painting."

Oscar Pine comes into the screen and is confused. "I don't see anything."

_"You need to squint."_ Ruby said.

"O...k?" Oscar said as he moves to the painting. He begins to squint his eyes and shifts her head a lot. "I see...I see a tree. In a forest. The wind is blowing on it, making the leave fall. The tree stands along in a meadow. This is truly-"

The glove appears and punches him backwards. And everyone begins laughing. Oscar just stands away, surprised as Yang comes out again. Jaune and Sun collapse to the ground as they laugh.

"He actually looked at the painting!" Nora exclaims. "Why would there be a painting hanging on a wall in an airship?"

"That was so not funny!!" Oscar exclaims.

"Alright, everyone!"

The group all turn to see Qrow, who is smiling.

"While I found this whole thing pretty funny...we need to start the debriefing."

* * *

_**GRASSLANDS** _

The other groups that had arrived from their own modes of transportation are standing in the grasslands as they wait for the debriefing.

"Oh, I'm so bored."

The chameleon girl, Ilia Amitola, is lying on the grass, looking bored out of her mind. "When can we actually fight?"

Ilia then sees the woman, who have matching cat ears and yellow eyes like Blake, smiling over her.

"Patience, Ilia." Kali Belladonna. "Once Blake and her friends arrive, we'll be discussing what to do and where to go."

Ilia groans as she sits up. "I just don't know who I'll be exactly following orders from. The Atlesian. The Drunk. Or the Chieftain." She would then see the Chieftain himself approaching from behind Kali. Ghira just chuckles from hearing the two talk.

"Do you really need to ask that question?"

"...I guess not." Ilia said.

"Ilia."

Ilia turns around and see Blake approaching her.

"Can I speak to you for a minute? In private" Blake asked.

Ilia nods and follows Blake away from the group and behind a tree, out of earshot. "Okay, Blake. What's going on?"

Blake double checks to see that nobody is nearby before she speaks. "I have been told of the plan. Who will be going to confront Salem. And who will be fighting the Grimm."

"...And?" Ilia asked.

"Looks like my team will be fighting Salem, along with CFVY. Qrow will be assisting them with Winter. The rest of us will be staying to fight Salem's followers and the Grimm."

Ilia shrugs her arms. "As long as we help by fighting, I'm alright." She notices that Blake grabs her arm. "What is it?"

Blake asked. "The relics."

"Right. What about them?"

"...Someone has to protect them, until the recover the other two from Salem. And...my mom volunteered to take one. And the other is being protected by someone unknown. Better than having them together, I guess."

Ilia sees the worry in Blake's face. "I see."

Blake moves closer to Ilia. "Can...can you do something for me?"

"Yeah. Anything." Ilia answered.

"Good." Blake said. "I'm going to need your help in protecting my mom. I can't do that alone. I just need to know-"

"Say no more." Ilia said. "Of course I'll help."

Blake is surprised. "Just like that?"

Ilia smiles. "Just like that."

Blake's cat ears twitch. Her smile fades and she sighs. Blake then reaches up and grabs something. It's a tail. Ilia steps back as Blake pulls Sun down the tree and to the ground. Sun groans as he slowly stands up.

"Did you have to grab my tail roughly?" He asked.

"If you hadn't been spying on us, then yes I did have to." Blake answered.

Sun groans in annoyance. "Why did ask her to protect your mom, by the way? Why didn't you ask me?"

"Because you've spent too much time, telling my mom all those stories." Blake said. "And you haven't spent any for me. I am hurt from this."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sun said. "I'll make it up to you. After our battle's over. I know a restaurant in Mistral that we can go too...if it's still there."

Blake chuckles. "It's a date."

"Okay." Ilia said. "This is getting awkward for me. I'll be going."

Blake and Sun both watch Ilia walking away towards the group. Blake then proceeds to grab Sun, pin him to the tree and press her lips on his. The two of them make out for a few seconds, before separating.

"I've been waiting for that for weeks." Blake said.

She sees Sun blush as he scratches the back of his head and giggles.

Minutes later, everyone is gathered up in one spot. A line of Atlesian soldiers are lined up in front of the group as General Ironwood steps forward and turns to face the group.

"Thank you all for coming." Ironwood said. "As you all know, we face a threat that seeks the power to wipe out the population of Remnant. And she can do so objects so powerful, they were previously hidden away." Ironwood uses his Scroll to project a screen, where the 4 Relics are shown. "Salem is currently in possession of the Relics of Creation and Destruction. With these 2, she is already powerful. She aims to take the Relics of Knowledge and Choice, for which we possess. And she will attempt to kill anyone that stands in her way." He turns off the screen and puts his Scroll away. "Which is why a number of us will confront Salem herself, while the rest will be confronting her followers and the Grimm horde that they command."

Qrow then proceeds to walk up to the stage. "A small number of us will be heading to the wastelands a few miles away. We'll lure Salem there and attempt to take the Relics from her there. The team will consist of I,Specialist Schnee, my nieces' Team, as well as Team CFVY. The rest of you will remain and fight the enemy here. Kali Belladonna will be in possession of the Relic of Choice, while the possessor of Knowledge will be a mystery. I expect some of you to protect her with your lives. We cannot allow Salem or her followers to takes any of the Relics. Because if she does...we're all dead."

Qrow raises his eyebrows as he sees Oscar coming up on the stage. But he knows that instead of the boy, is the man whose soul is bound to him.

"Allow me to say something before we head out, Qrow." Ozpin though Oscar's voice said.

Qrow nods and Ozpin turns to face the crowd. "You probably find this odd...that I speak through young Oscar. But he allows me to communicate with you, in order to congratulate you all. For the first time in a year...we all stand united. Many of us from different parts of Remnant. Whether you're from a Kingdom, a village, or even an island...we all know the threat that poses in front of us. And together...we will achieve victory and bring peace back to the world. Thank you."

"Qrow's team will be departing in 5 minutes, while the rest of us prepare for the big fight." Ironwood said. "That is all."

The crowd begin dispersing. RWBY, CFVY, Qrow and Winter all head towards the forest to their airship. After a few minutes of walking, they hear someone talking.

"Guys. Wait."

Everyone turns to look at Blake, who is a few feet behind them.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked. "Nervous?"

Blake nods. "No. I'm not nervous."

"Then what's going on?"

"...I'm not going."

The rest of RWBY are surprised to hear this, as well as Qrow.

"Look. I'm not afraid to fight Salem, guys." Blake said. "I would gladly follow you guys. But my mom is protecting a Relic. I need to protect her."

"C'mon, Blake." Weiss said. "We can understand your situation. But we need you in this fight."

"Weiss is right." Ruby said. "The more we have, the better our chances."

"Your mother will be fine, Blake." Yang said, before she walks to Blake. "Come on. We gotta go."

Blake nods again. "I'm sorry. But I have to stay."

She sees the disappointment in Yang's eyes and turns to walk back. Yang sighs and puts her hands on her waist. She then notices Velvet following Blake. "And where are you going?"

"No."

Yang turns to look at Coco, who nods.

"Let her go." Coco said.

"Are you kidding me?" Yang exclaims. She then scoffs. "Whatever."

Qrow and Winter both watch the remainder of RWBY and CFVY enter the airship.

"This better be enough." Winter said.

Qrow takes a swig from his flask before talking. "The main priority is to get the Relics from Salem. That's all that we have to focus."

Winter gets closer to Qrow, squinting her eyes. "Then why have one in your possession?"

Qrow looks at Winter. "Oz told me something. Something that shook me to the core."

* * *

_**1 HOUR LATER - GRASSLANDS** _

The army consisting of Atlesian soldiers, the Faunus is Menagerie and other Huntsman and Huntresses stand in the grasslands. Ironwood, Ozcar, Ghira, Taiyang and Raven stand in the front of the crowd, watching at the enemy.

At the other end of the grasslands is a massive horde of Grimm. In front of them, Arthur Watts, Hazel Rainart and Tyrian Callows stand there, watching the army across from them.

"That's more Grimm than I had thought." Taiyang said, looking a bit nervous.

"Do not show your fear." Raven said. "Makes you look weak."

"We all are afraid, Miss Branwen." Ozpin said. "We should never keep that emotion inside."

"I'll let it out, eventually." Raven said as she takes out her sword. "But after that fight is done."

* * *

_**WASTELANDS** _

Yang is sitting on the steps of a large ruined building, anger in her face. Ruby walks up the steps and sits down next to her sister.

"Still mad at Blake?" Ruby asked.

Yang sighs as her anger fades into sadness. "Why didn't she just go with us?"

"Her family is there, Yang." Ruby answered. "She chose to stay behind to help them."

"They can take care of themselves."

"I know. But if I had stayed behind, wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

"Of course." Yang answered. "You're my sister."

"Then why not treat this the same with Blake?"

Yang is trying to answer the question, but sighs in disappointment. "She and I are going to have a long discussion after this."

"Hey you two."

Ruby and Yang turn to see Qrow approaching them.

"Just got a call from Jimmy." He said. "Jimmy and the others already begun their fight. Soon, Salem will know of our location. We need to get ready."

The sister stand up and proceed to follow Qrow.

* * *

_**GRASSLANDS** _

Blake yells as she jumps into the air and kicks a Grimm before stabbing it. After the creature disintegrates, she quickly backs away to be near Kali, who is also being protected by Ilia and a couple soldiers.

"We need to get you outta here!" Blake exclaims.

"We can't!" Ilia exclaims back. "We're surrounded!"

"Then we'll clear a path! NORA!"

Nora, who was nearby and smashing a Beofwolf, turns to look at Blake, who motions at a direction. She along with Ren follow the small group. Nora swings at any nearby Grimm, clearing a path for the group to run into the forest. As they continue to keep on going, they hear rustling nearby. Blake quickly turns around and raises Gambol Shroud, which deflects the blades of someone's gauntlet. She kicks her opponent away and gets into battle stand. Tyrian just smiles evilly and chuckles as she stands up.

"Oh my dear kitten." He said. "I'm afraid that one of you possess something that my queen needs. And you are standing in my way."

Blake quickly turns to Kali and Ilia. "GO!"

The two of them begin to run as Blake, Ren and Nora charge towards Tyrian.

Back in the Grasslands, Sun is swinging his staff at several Grimm while trying to dodge some punches from Hazel. The rest of Team SSSN are fighting the creatures nearby. Neptune Vasilias turns to see Watts slowly about to attack Sun from behind. He turns his trident into gun form and fires a laser. Watts turns and is too late as he takes the shot, sending him backwards. Neptune then turns to see his teammates, Scarlet and Sage about to get overwhelmed by the Grimm. Until Ironwood and Taiyang join in on the fight.

"Go help Sun!" Scarlet yells. "We got this."

Neptune quickly turns and runs to Sun before proceeding to attack Hazel.

Watts quickly stands up and growls.

"Oh what's wrong, Arthur?"

Watts turns and sees Raven, who takes out her sword.

"Are you mad because you're losing?" She said as she points her sword.

"On the contrary, Branwen." Watts said, smiling and taking out a device. "I aim to win. And I also came prepared."

He presses a button and several beeps are starting to be heard. Raven hears the beeps and quickly jumps out of the way. Several explosions begin to occur, surround everyone, good or bad, to be consumed by the blasts. Raven lands back on the ground and looks around to see the aftermath. She hears yelling and turns to see Sun, who is grasping his leg and yelling in pain. Hazel, unaffected by the explosions, grabs Sun by his neck and proceeds to throw him towards the forest.

As Blake is kicked by Tyrian, she hits a tree and groans. As she lifts her head, she suddenly sees Sun flying through the forest. He lands hard onto the ground. Blake's eyes go wide as she runs to Sun. She sees the wounds on his leg and takes her ribbon. Blake ties it around his leg and proceeds to drag him to a nearby log. She then sees Tyrian kicking Ren and Nora away, before he charges. Blake deflects his attacks, their blades meeting. She then notices that Tyrian chuckles evilly. That's when she feels something wrap around her neck and it tightens. Blake is lifted by Tyrian's tail as she gasps her air, trying to free herself. Sun quickly looks around and sees a large rock. Picking it up, he throws it at the distracted villain's face. Tyrian yells in pain as his tail releases Blake. He growls and looks at Sun. Tyrian then proceeds to launch his tail at Sun. As Blake tries to catch her breath, she hears Sun yelling in pain. She turns and her eyes are wide as she sees Tyrians scorpion tail impaling the Monkey Faunus into his abdomen. Anger rising, Blake yells as she raises Gambol Shroud and strikes. Tyrian scream in pain and goes backwards as his stinger falls to the ground, separated from his tail.

"YOU BITCH!" Tyrian screams as he starts to charge.

But he met with a thump and is bumped back. Blake goes to tend to Sun as Jaune, his sword and shield ready, charges at Tyrian and swings. The villain quickly back away and proceeds to turn around to run. Jaune turns and goes to Blake.

* * *

_**WASTELANDS** _

A dark portal appears in the middle of the ruins. And the Grimm queen, Salem, emerges from the portal and simply smiles. Qrow, drinking from his flask, sits at the top of the stairs and sighs.

"So." Qrow said. "You're finally here. Took you long enough. I was started to get bored."

He notices that Salem has spikes that resemble bones sticking out of her arms and shoulders.

"You know exactly why I'm here then." Salem said. "I can make it easier for you, if you just give me what I want."

"...Easier." Qrow said. "Is that what you said to the Summer and Winter Maidens?"

"They were resistant." Salem said. "Even when they listened to my orders, they attempted to kill me. I can ensure that your death will be quick and painless...but only if you give me the Relics."

"...You really think I'm just going to give you the only things that will guarantee your own victory?" Qrow says as she stands up.

"You will do so...or you die." Salems said.

"I could just take the relics from you, instead." Qrow said.

Salem chuckles. "You just don't get it. Do you?" She raises her arm and it glows, surprising Qrow. "By absorbing the power of the Relics, I make it more impossible for you. And with the power of Destruction and Creation, I am already powerful. But once I have Choice and Knowledge...I will destroy all life on Remnant with the snap of my fingers. But before I even do so, I will break your will. And you will be begging for mercy as I take out the ones you love...one by one."

"Well, then." Qrow said as he takes out his sword. "I guess you will find that our will to be stronger than ever."

Salem is confused. "Ours?"

She suddenly looks up and sees a giant piece of rubble falling down towards her. Salem braces herself as the rubble crashes on top of her. Qrow turns to see Yang, who is heavily panting and giving a thumbs up.

"Piece of cake, guys!" Yang said.

Coco, Ruby, Yastu and Fox emerge from their hiding spots and charge.

"Yeah." Coco said. "If the goal was to piss her off."

Yang then suddenly sees the rubble explode. Salem, anger in her face, makes her arm glow and screams. The rubble flies towards Yang, sending her off the cliff she was standing on. Qrow and Winter both attempt to strike at Salem. But the villains grabs Qrow and punches him, sending him backwards. Winter tries to stab, but Salem kicks her away. Weiss emerges from her hiding spot and makes her Glyphs appear. Coco jumps on the Glyphs and uses them to get closer to attach a device on Salem. She the proceeds to flip off the Grimm Queen, before a Glyph launches her upwards. Salem yells when the device explodes, electrocuting her. As she gets up Salem then sees a Glyph next to her as Weiss stands nearby, ready. Ruby takes on the Glyph and proceeds to punch Salem. She uses Weiss Glyphs to kick and punch Salem multiple times. And just she takes out Crescent Rose, Salem grabs her by her neck and pins her to the ground. She then proceeds throw Ruby at Weiss, sending them down a hill of debris. Yang gets on top of a hill and fires Ember Celica at Salem, who absorbs the fires of the explosion. Yelling, she blasts the fire back at Yang, who tries to shield herself. Yatsu and Fox attack her legs, distracting her and giving Yang time to run. Salem stomps on the ground, causing the two of them to be blasted backwards.

The next thing is something that Salem didn't expect. And small ship crashing on top of her. Ruby and Weiss see this occur and take their chances. Salem pushes the remains away and is suddenly taken by surprise by a kick to the face. When she recovers, she sees the green haired girl, Emerald Sustrai, preparing to fight with her sickles out.

"Well, well, well." Salem said.

"You should've killed me instead of Mercury." Emerald said.

"Perhaps." Salem said. "But Mercury was a coward. Just like you. He practically begged for his life, before I broke his neck."

Emerald yells as she strikes at Salem, who takes the attacks without even flinching. Salem then strikes Emerald with her backhand, sending her into a pile of debris. Coco, Yatsu and Fox try to attack, but Salem sends all three of them screams as she launches into the air as she strikes Salem in the face, but causing her to hit the ground hard. She tries to attack again, only for Salem to headbutt her to the ground. Growling, Salem turns and looks at the shattered moon over Remnant. Raising her arm, the broken moon pieces begin to glow. Yang's eyes go wide upon seeing this. Salem yells in anger as the moon pieces hurl towards the Wastelands, crashing onto the ground. Yang tries to run and dodge, only to be struck down by a giant piece.

Both Weiss and Winter look at their foe. They both summon a giant Glyph. And together, a giant white knight emerges from ground. Salem throws some debris at them, but Winter makes another Glyph that deflects it back at Salem. The knight charges with its sword ready and jumps to strike at her. Salem then proceeds to punch through the summon, shattering it and causing Weiss to scream in pain and fall to her knees. Salem's arm glows and the ground that the sisters are standing up breaks apart and flies towards the villain. Salem kicks Weiss away and grabs Winter by her throat.

"I admire your bravery, Schnee." Salem said, before she notices something around Winter neck and takes it out. A necklace that is glowing is in her hands. "But I don't admire your deceitfulness." She then crushes the necklace. "A fake. Now that makes me angry." She tightens her grip around Winter's neck, causing the latter to struggle. "Where...is...the relic?"

* * *

_**GRASSLANDS** _

Raven flies into the air and strikes many of the Grimm that was in her way. Taiyang, Ozpin and Ironwood are fighting Watts and Hazel. Neptune attempts to strike Hazel. But the bigger man just strikes Neptune, sending him towards a tree. Velvet, who was nearby, jumps up and catches the guy. They both hit the tree and fall to the ground.

In the forest, Ilia and Kali are hiding behind a tree as Tyrian is angrily walking around, yelling.

"What do we do?" Kali whispers.

Ilia quietly peeks from the tree before taking her weapon out. She then turns to Kali. "Stay here"

Ilia then jumps out from her spot and her whip wraps around Tyrian's neck. She then swings the bad guy onto a tree. Tyrian growls as he stands up and faces Ilia. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Tyrian charges at Ilia, who tries to attack, but the former is too fast to hit. He jumps into the air, kicks the whip away, and lands on top of her. He then proceeds to wrap his hands around Ilia's neck, tightening his grip. Ilia desperately tries to free herself, but is chocking and slowly begins to lose consciousness. Tyrian begins to evilly chuckle as he nearly strangles the girl. But his face changes, when he feels something go through his chest. He looks down to see a blade pierced their. Gasping for air, his grip on Ilia releases and he falls backwards as the blade exits his body. Dropping her sword, Blake stands eyes-wide in horror as Ilia tries to breathe. Kali emerges from behind the tree and sees Blake falling to her knees. She then sees Tyrian's lifeless corpse and quickly goes to Blake, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"It's okay, sweetie." Kali said. "It's okay."

"...I'm okay." Blake said, calming herself down. "I just...I just need a minute. Go help Ilia."

Kali turns to see Ilia struggling to get up and goes to help her.

"Come on." Blake said as she picks up Gambol Shroud. "We need to check up on Sun."

"Was he hurt?" Kali asked.

"Very." Blake said. "Jaune's helping him right now. But we need to see if they're fine."

* * *

_**WASTELANDS** _

Winter is thrown to a wall, causing her to pass out from the impact. Qrow screams as he tries to stab Salem, but his sword is slapped away, and he is kicked back. Salem then sees Yang land across from her, her hair glowing and her eyes red.

"You throw the moon at me again...I'm really going to lose it."

Yang then proceeds to charge and jumps into the air. She kicks Salem backwards and lands before she proceeds to punch with both her fists, sending Salem to a wall. Salem then give Yang a punch, causing the latter to fall to the ground. Yang yells and hits the ground and stands up. She dodges many punches and kicks from Salem until she grabs one of her fists. Taking the opportunity, a large blade emerges from her metal arm, and she tries to go for the kill. But Salem quickly grabs the blade, smiling. She then proceed to break the blade off and runs it through Yang's abdomen. Yang gasps as the blade pierces her, and causing her hair and eyes to go back to normal. She falls to her knees and looks at the blade. Salem crouches down and grabs the girl by her hair, making her look at the villain.

"You have my respects, Xiao Long." Salem said. "You fought hard...just like Summer did."

Yang's eyes go wide upon hearing this. Salem then grabs the blade and pierces it further through Yang, causing the latter to yell in pain.

"When I'm done here, I'll be sure that your sister begs for your life...before I kill you both."

She then lets Yang fall to the ground, shaking in fear. Salem the prepares to strike at Yang.

"Stop!"

Salem turns to see Qrow, who is gasping a wound on his shoulder. Yang shakily turns to him as well.

"Spare her life...and I'll give the Relic."

Salem squints her eyes and stares at Qrow. "No tricks."

Qrow nods his head. "No need for tricks."

"Don't!" Yang exclaims. "Please, Qrow."

Qrow sadly looks at Yang. "I have to, Yang. It's what Oz predicted, back in the ship."

Qrow then slowly reaches into his pocket and slowly takes out the Relic of Choice, concealed in a necklace. Staring at it for a few seconds, he sighs and throws it to Salem.

"QROW!"

Winter, who had woken back up, is horrified to see this. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Salem proceeds to crush the Relic with her bare hand. The glowing energy then begins to surround Salem, who groans and yells as she takes the energy. inside her. And when that's done, she then sees Coco screaming as she fires her Gatling gun. Salem opens a dark portal and jumps through it. As it disappears, everyone including Emerald gather together to assess what happened.

"Where did she go?" Weiss asked.

Yang yells as she pulls the blade out, with Ruby applying pressure to the wound afterwords. Everyone is in shock of what they had experienced.

"Did we just lose?" Coco asked.

Yang slowly turns to Qrow. "Why? Why did you do that?"

Qrow takes out his flask and looks at it. "We're at the endgame."

* * *

_**GRASSLANDS** _

As Blake, Kali and Ilia rejoin with Jaune and Sun, who has bandages around his waist, they suddenly see a dark portal appear. Ren and Nora quickly get in front of Kali as Salem emerges from the portal. Ilia quickly backs Kali away as everyone gets ready. Even Sun stands up to fight. Ren fires Stormflower, but is blown away from a blast. Nora tries to strike with Magnhild. Salem grabs the hammer and throws it, along with Nora, to a tree. Sun tries to attack with his gun-chucks, but his puched back. Blake is forced to the ground by a blast before being kicked away. Jaune is next, striking Salem with his sword and shield many times. Kali helps Blake up and they with Ilia begin to retreat. Salem forces Juane's weapons off of him and tries to grab him. But to her surprise, Jaune grabs her hand and is able to hold on his own. He struggles to and yells as he tries, but Salem just punches him away. She then proceeds to force the ground to rise in front of the remaining three. Blake quickly takes out her weapon and tries to attack. But Salem manages to grip Blake's arm and breaks it, causing the latter to scream in pain. Salem then holds Blake hostage and turns to Kali.

"I've had enough games." She said. "Give me the Relic...or your daughter dies."

Kali's eyes are wide in shock.

"NO MOM!" Blake screams. "DON'T DO-"

Salem notices that Blake stopped yelling and is looking up. She proceeds to look up and suddenly throw Blake aside. Raven scream as she flies down, dodging every attack from Salem, who is trying to hit her. But it fails as she feels something pierce her. Raven heavily pants as she lands and her blade pierces Salem. The villain struggles to try to attack, but Raven takes Gambol Shroud and stabs her again.

"You were never going to win!: Raven exclaims.

As Salem weakly falls to her knees, she slowly looks up at Raven and smiles. "I've...already...won."

She then raises her arm and presses her two fingers together, causing Raven's eyes to go wide.

_Snap_

The force of the snap sends Raven flying away and Salem to fall to the ground. Her smile still on her face as she disintegrates. Blake groans in pain as she grasps her broken arm. Ren gets up takes out some cloth and carefully puts her arm and wraps it in a sling.

"Thanks." Blake said as she sits next to Sun.

Jaune and Nora look around to be sure that there are no enemies nearby.

"Is it over?" Juane asked. "Did...did we win?"

"I don't know." Nora said.

"Guys?"

Jaune and Nora quickly turn around to see Ren, whose eyes are wide as his arm begins to disappear. His legs begin as well and he falls as he disintegrates. Nora, horrified upon seeing this, falls to her knees and looks at the area where only Stormflower remains. She begins to lightly sob as her hands fall to the ground.

In the Grasslands, Ghira looks in horror as many soldiers begin to suffer the same fate, with the rest being shocked. Hazel and Watts attempt to run away, only to die as well. Ozpin eyes go wide as he sees Ironwood falling victim too.

_"What...what's happening?"_ Oscar says from inside his own head.

"We're too late." He said as a tear falls down his face.

Raven is trying to get up, while clutching a wound on her side. Taiyang sees her and runs to the woman.

"Come on, Raven." He said. "Something bad is happening. We gotta go."

And as Raven grabs his arm, Taiyang is among those who disintegrate. Raven goes eyes-wide upon seeing this. She quickly gets up and backs away.

In the forest, Sun's eyes are wide as he legs begin to go away. "Blake?"

"No." Blake said, horrified and tears falling down her face. "No. No. No."

She tries to reach to Sun. But is too late as he vanishes. She then grasps her waist with her good arm and shakes back and forth.

Scarlet and Sage both look in horror as their own bodies begin to disintegrate until there is nothing left. Neptune groans in pain before he too falls victim. Velvet, having witness this, backs away in horror and after seeing more people going, wraps her hands around her head as she sobs.

* * *

_**WASTELANDS** _

Everyone gather in one spot, with Coco supporting Fox, who is limping. Yatsuhasi walks behind them. Emerald stays from the group, with her back turned from them. Ruby helps Yang up as she clutches her stab wound. Qrow just sadly sits in the same spot, swigging from his flask. Weiss checks on a wound on Winter's shoulder as a noise is staring to be heard.

"You guys hear that?" Coco asked.

As they start looking around to find the source of the noise, they hear the noise getting closer and turn to Fox, who disintegrates in front of a shocked Coco. Everyone's eyes go wide in horror. Coco quickly turns to see Yatsu looking at his disintegrating hand. He looks at Coco in horror, before he too falls victim. Coco quickly turns to Yang and Ruby.

"Steady, Coco." Yang said.

"What's happening?" Coco asked, before she vanishes too. Yang turns her head away, trying to compose herself.

"Yang."

Yang looks at Qrow, who is sadly looking at her.

"This was the only way."

That's all Qrow before he takes one last swig from his flask...and he too is gone.

"Yang?"

Yang quickly turns and her eyes go wide again in horror. Ruby is clutching her waist looking pale. "I don't feel so good."

Weiss falls to her knees, tears falling down as she watches bits of Ruby disintegrate.

"You're fine." Yang said, saying all she could.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, horrified. "Yang. What's going-"

She then falls as her legs go away and hugs Yang tightly. Now knowing what's about to happen, she begins to lightly sob.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to go. Please, Yang. I don't want to go."

Yang holds her sister tightly as they both fall to the ground. Horror still on her face, Ruby tearfully looks at Yang. "I don't want to go."

These would be her last words before Ruby's face goes blank and what remains of her disintegrates into nothing. Yang, shaking and tears falling, looks at her hands that held her sister. Her left hand begins shaking violently.

Emerald, although shocked, closes her eyes. "She actually did it."

Weiss begins to let her emotions out as she puts her hands on her face as she sobs. Winter crouches down and holds her sister as Yang gasps her left hand, more tears falling down her own face.

* * *

_**1 HOUR LATER - GRASSLANDS** _

Those that remain are gathered in the grasslands, shocked from what they have seen earlier. Nora is on her knees, staring at the ground, her eyes wide in shock. Jaune and Blake go check up on her.

"She's in shock." Jaune said, his voice cracking. "Just give her some time."

Blake nods and walks away to look around. She sees her parents and Ilia resting in a spot and walks to them. Kali stands up as Blake approaches them. But they are interrupted as an airship hovers near the and lands on the grass. Blake walks to the airship as the back doors open. Yang, Weiss, Winter and Emerald all exit the ship. Winter has Emerald in cuffs as a percussion. Blake notices at Yang has been staring at the ground.

"Yang?" She asked before looking and noticing something. "Where's...where's Ruby? Where are the others?"

Yang doesn't say the answer. All she does is nod. And that is enough for Blake to realize what that meant and begins to hug Yang with her good arm.

"I'm sorry." Blake said as her voice cracks. "I'm so sorry, Yang."

As the two hugged, Weiss sadly looks around and sees the aftermath of their battle. She then sees Velvet, who is worriedly looking around and goes to her. When she stops, Weiss places her hand on Velvet's shoulder and nods. Velvet falls to her knees and holds herself as she begins to sob.

Yang sniffles and separates her hug. "Where...where's my dad. I...I have to tell him what happened."

"...Yang..." Blake said.

Yang is starting to become confused. "...What? Blake. Tell me."

She turns to see Raven, who is sadly looking at her. Yang walks to her mother, as the latter stands up.

"Where is he, Mom?" Yang asked.

Raven lowers her head and stares at the ground. Yang's eyes are wide again in horror as she realizes that her dad is gone. Shaking, she slowly turns and walks into the forest.

Jaune, who was nearby and heard everything, sits on the ground and looks at the ground in shock. "By the gods."

Weiss and Blake both sadly watch as Yang just walks and walks until she falls to her knees. Her eyes are still wide in shock as she stares at the beyond. She then closes her eyes are and tries to contain her emotions. But she eventually gives up and clenches her fists hard and tears falling down her face as she begins to breakdown, knowing that her uncle, her father, and her sister...all those that she held dear in her heart...are gone.

* * *

 

**THE END**


	4. Epilogue

**THE SNAP - EPILOGUE**

* * *

_**AIRSHIP** _

As she sits near a window, grasping her head and crying as she shakes, Weiss slowly taps her head on the nearby wall. Her foot was going up and down and her grasp loosens. Weiss lowers her hands and stops hitting the wall, her head resting on it. Sniffling, she just stays there, shaken from having seen her partner die. She tries to calm herself down, only for her emotions to take over again as she continues to cry.

In another room, shaking and her arms wrapped around her legs, Blake sits in the corner of the room she's in. Sobbing softly, she recalls watching Sun die in front of her, making her shaking more violent.

"Blake."

Blake nods as she hears footsteps getting closer to her. Ghira watches sadly as his daughter sobs in the corner.

"Blake." Ghira said. "Please. Stand."

Blake doesn't move for a few seconds, remaining in her same position. But eventually, she calms herself down and slowly stands up. Sniffling, she continues to stare at the ground.

"How...how's Mom?" She asks.

"A few bruises and a sprained ankle." Ghira answered. "That is all she got. She'll be okay. But I'm here, because I wanted to see how you are doing."

"...I...I'm not okay, Dad." Blake said as she tries to contain her sobs.

She begins to fall, as her legs loses feeling. But Blake manages to catch herself by grasping the nearby dresser. Ghira helps her to the nearby bed and they both sit down.

Ghira sighs before talking. "Talk to me, Blake. Just tell me."

Blake, shaking, turns to look at Ghira before turning back to the ground. "I...I watched Sun...die in front of me. I kil...I killed that...that maniac who went after Mom. I..." Tears fall down her face. "My team leader...my friend...Yang's sister, Ruby...died. She was only 16. And Yang couldn't do anything but watch as her sister vanished into nothing. I can't...I'm hurting, Dad. I'm hurting a lot."

Ghira quickly grabs Blake and holds her daughter, who is shaking and sobbing.

In another room of the airship, Jaune stands and stares outside the window, watching the clouds pass by. He then turns his head and looks at Nora, who is sitting nearby, eyes wide and having tears falling her face. He walks to Nora and proceeds to crouch in front of her.

"Hey."

Nora doesn't respond to Jaune, still staring at the ground. Jaune grabs Nora and slightly shake her. No response.

Jaune sighs. "Come on. Let me help you to bed, then."

Jaune carefully helps Nora up and walks her to the nearby bed. He helps her lie down on the bed and puts the blanket over her. Jaune sees that her eyes are still wide and staring at the wall in front of her.

"Just get some sleep. Okay?"

No response. Not even a nod. Jaune then proceeds to walk towards the door and exits, slowly closing the door behind him. Shakily sighing, he proceeds to walk down the hallway.

And in another room, lying on the floor, Yang stares at the picture frame that's on the floor. The glass broken, and a picture slightly hanging from the frame. Yang looks at the picture. It has her, Ruby and Taiyang in it, posing with their house behind them. Tears fall down her face sideways, knowing that she would never see them again. She would then hear a thump from outside her room. Yang then slowly sits up and drags herself to the nearby wall and places her ear on it.

Outside the room, Jaune takes out his Scroll and presses a couple buttons. His hands shaking, he slowly places it on his hear, waiting for someone to answer.

_"Hello?"_

"...Mom?" Jaune shakily asked. He hears a shaking gasp from his Scroll.

_"Jaune?...My Jauney?"_

Jaune sniffles loudly as he nods. "Yeah. It's me, Mom. I'm okay. And I'm safe."

_"Oh my beautiful boy."_ Jaune hears her mother beginning to sob.

"Mom." Jaune said, tears falling. "I'm coming home. I don't know when. But I'm coming home. Okay? I'm coming back home. And I'm sorry for leaving you all, without letting you know. I'm sorry."

_"Oh sweetheart. I...I can't imagine what you've been through. I just can't. Where...where are you?"_

"I'm in an airship." Jaune shakily answered. "We just entered Vale and we're making a couple stops. But I'll be home today."

He wipes his tears away before continuing. "I promise, Mom. I promise, I'll make up for leaving you. I'll make us all an amazing dinner, once I'm back. You, me, Dad...all of us. Together after a long time."

Jaune then hears her mother sobbing from his Scroll. "Mom? Mom, what's wrong?"

_"...Jaune...your father..."_

"What? What do you...is Dad okay? Just tell me, please."

Jaune hears nothing but his mother's heavy breathing, only to realize what that meant. "No. No, no, no. Please don't say it. Please."

_"I'm sorry, baby. Your father's...he gone."_

Jaune grabs his head and clenches his hair as he softly begins to sob. "Who else?"

_"...Jasmine...Jade...Violet..." Sniffles. "...Sapphire."_

Jaune's sobbing increases as he hears of his father, his three older sisters, as well as the youngest one, were victims of Salem's wrath.

_"Jaune?"_

Trying to slow down his breathing, Jaune speaks as his voice breaks. "I'll be home soon. Okay? I'll be home."

And before he gets a response back, he ends the call drops his Scroll. His hands are violently shaking as he hears footsteps. He slowly turns his head and he sees Velvet, who has a worried look on her face. He then tries to stand up. But when he does, Jaune feels his legs going weak. Velvet quickly grabs Jaune as he falls.

"I've got you." Velvet said, putting Juane's arm over her shoulders. "One step at a time. I'll lead you to your room."

Yang, having heard the whole thing, just sadly stares at nothing as more tears fall down her face. She does so as the footsteps from Velvet and Jaune become more fainter. She then lifts up her left arm, looking at her gauntlet. Yang slowly removes it from her arm and sets it on the ground. She would then stand up and proceeds to sit down on her bed, continuing to stare at the ground. After a few seconds, she proceeds to pick up the gauntlet.

* * *

_**THE NEXT DAY - PATCH** _

Yang places the gauntlet into a box filled with other stuff. She sadly closes the box and places it next to a couple more that were on the floor. Yang then proceeds to look around what's left of Ruby's room, which is nearly empty with the exception of the drawers and the bed. She then proceeds to sit on Ruby's bed. Shakily sighing, she turns her head and looks outside the window. Hey eyebrows raise as she stands up and quickly walks out of the room.

* * *

_**VALE - APARTMENT** _

Weiss opens her duffel-bag and proceeds to take out a few items. One of the items that she takes out is a picture. One with her and the rest of Team RWBY. She proceeds to set that on a nearby drawer and proceeds to grab a chair, set it in front of a window and sits down. She watches as nearby cars and people walk past her new home. Vale. Where she is scheduled to move the Dust Company to. The door to her apartment opens and Weiss slightly turns her head.

Winter, wearing casual clothing, closes the door behind her. She sees Weiss sitting down and walks to her sister until she rests on a counter.

"Settling in good?" She asked.

"...Yeah." Weiss answered. "It's a nice place. Nice recommendation." She lowers her head. "Ruby talked about this place once. Said she thought of moving here after Beacon." Sniffles and sighs. "It's just not fair, sis. It's not."

"I know." Winter said. "It wasn't fair. I know how much you cared for her. I saw it myself. I know what it's like, Weiss. To feel that way towards anyone that I cared about."

"How can I move on, then?" Weiss asked, her eyes watering.

"By doing exactly what you're doing." Winter answered. "Grieve now. Don't keep your emotions inside."

"But I don't want to!" Weiss exclaims. "It hurts inside. So...so much! I feel guilty, Winter. Guilty that I wan't strong enough. If I was, maybe I couldn't stopped Salem. Maybe-"

"Enough!" Winter exclaims as she stands up. "I assure of you, that I know a lot about guilt, Weiss!"

"Oh really?" Weiss said as she gets mad.

Winter then proceeds to walk around the apartment. "I've been in the military for years, Weiss. And I've seen my share of battles. Do you know how many soldiers we've lost over the years that I've enlisted?"

"...Countless, I'm sure."

"Not countless!" Winter exclaims as she turns to Weiss. "Counted. 5,362. Half of them were from the Fall of Beacon and our fight against Salem. And out of the total...1,834 were under my watch."

Weiss is shocked to hear this from her sister as she continued.

"I've felt the weight of each of their deaths. I still do, some years after they died."

"Winter-"

"The thing I realized...is that to continue to be clear-headed, I had to grieve for those men and women that I lost. So I did. Each and every one."

Weiss sadly looks at the ground.

"Never let your emotions held inside yourself. Otherwise...you'll never be able to move forward. Ruby would want you to keep going. And the best thing that you could do-"

"Is to move forward." Weiss said.

Winter nods. "Yeah."

Weiss lifts her head and nods at Winter. She then proceeds to walk to her sister and gives her hug. Winter proceeds to hug Weiss back. And the two sisters just comfort each other.

* * *

_**AIRSHIP** _

Blake sits in her room, hands clasped together and staring at the ground. Her leg is shaking as she trembles. The door to her room opens and she lifts her head.

"Hey Blake." Ilia said with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"...I'll be fine." Blake said. "How long before we fly back home?"

"Pilot says by tonight, if there's no delays." Ilia answered.

Blake nods. "Perfect." She then sighs. "Just be ready. Who knows how many of our people we lost in Menagerie."

"And those we lost in the battle." Ilia said. "They will be missed. Sun...he'll be missed too."

"...Yeah." Blake said. "He will."

"Is there anything I can do?" Ilia asked.

Blake doesn't answer for a few seconds, before doing so. "I could use a friend right now."

Ilia responds to that by approaching Blake and hugging her. Blake hugs her back as tears fall down her face.

"If you ever need to talk to somebody...I'll be there." Ilia said.

"...Thank you."

* * *

_**PATCH** _

The front door to the house opens. Yang slowly exits her home and closes the door. She would then stare at Raven, who is a few feet away across from her. Yang would then slowly walk towards her mother.

"Yang-"

Is all that Raven says before, instead of a punch to the face, she gets a hug from Yang. Coming as a surprise, Raven just stands there as Yang begin to softly sob on her mother's shoulder. Raven's expression quickly turns to sadness before hugging back her daughter.

* * *

_**ARC FAMILY HOME** _

Jaune is at the cliff-side near his home, staring at the object on the ground. As he sighs, he turns to see Nora, who is sadly sitting on the ground and looking at the object. They both stare at the gravestone that has a lotus flower on it.

_Lie Ren_

They both just look at Ren's grave, before Jaune stares at the other 5 gravestones that lay nearby. Despite having no bodies to bury, Jaune decided to make graves, himself. Nora then proceeds to put a lotus flower on Ren's grave, before standing up and walking into the Arc family home. Jaune crouches down and moves the flower to a better spot on Ren's grave. He then nods before heading back to his home.

* * *

_**EVENING - PATCH** _

Yang sadly sits on the cliff-side, overlooking Summer's gravestone. As well as the 3 additional ones next to it. The gravestones of Qrow, Taiyang and...Ruby's.

Raven stands nearby, her arms crossed and sadly looking at the graves. Yang sniffles and wipes her nose with her sleeve before talking.

"I'll come by to see you guys. Every day, I will. I promise."

Yang then proceed to stand up and walks into the forest toward her home. Raven watches as her daughter slowly walks away, before sighing. She then proceeds to crouch in front of the graves. She puts her hands on Summer's, before taking out Qrow's flask and putting it on his grave. She then goes to take out a red bandanna. Staring at it, she places it on Taiyang's grave. She then takes out a silver rose. Ruby's brooch, which Yang managed to find, as it fell off during the fight against Salem. Raven then places the brooch on Ruby's grave, before standing up.

"I promise all of you. I'll keep her safe."

Raven then proceeds to turn around and walk into the forest. The 4 gravestones lay in the cliff-side. Ruby's brooch slides down and stops under her quote.

_"Red like roses"_

* * *

**END OF RWBY: THE SNAP**

Hey guys. So I decided to make an epilogue to this story, because I would really like to show the aftermath of the tragic chapter that killed off a lot of characters and show the impact of their deaths affecting those that they cared about. And I want to write a follow-up story in the future. One that would be completely different than my other stories. I will start writing that when I have a good idea for the first chapter.

Thank you all for reading. And I do hope you all have a nice day.


End file.
